Research

Here is a link to a documentary called Taxi to the Dark Side. My professor showed it to us last year and it's really intense, but pretty amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPPQ8fhwDHc&feature=related

Segment 3

From Franck's article, "Are Human Rights Universal?" we decided to focus on the idea of prisoners losing their rights because they are incarcerated. There is a morality questioned involved when dealing with those who have severely broken the law on whether they still deserve human rights even though they may have taken them away from someone else. Are prisoners still protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

Also, from Kirkpatrick's article comes the problem of jurisdiction in Guantanamo Bay. Which country claims over governmental power? Is it the country from which the prisoner is from, or the country from which the prisoner is currently located? How does this play into the human and ethnic rights dilemma?

HT 2 second reading

In discussing the connection between the universality of human rights and the issue of human trafficking, our group contemplated over the idea that human rights rules are constantly changing due to constant developments from countries all over the world. Changes and advancements are constantly occurring in countries, including changes in technology and what resources are readily available. Also, in people moving to different locations all over the world, they are exposed to more or less of what they were previously used to; therefore, is it possible for people to expect the same rights, regardless of changes in cultures and customs? From this idea, our group discussed the idea that there are violations of human rights being made all over the world, yet these violations may seem more extreme for one country than for another ( eg pornography in the United States vs human trafficking in Korea). How does the UN and those part of the establishment of what constitutes as a violation of human rights take into consideration other cultures and the importance of some rights over others? We plan on taking this idea and connecting it to how common a practice human trafficking has become in certain areas of the world; while we in the united states view human trafficking as a clear violation of human rights, why do those involved in it in Korea not view it as such?

HT team 2

HT team 2
from the first reading:
human dignity vs rights-
     -with regards to human trafficking, we discussed which rights were being taken away from those put into slavery unwillingly. We discussed that in being taken as a slave is a direct abuse of rights and privileges that all humans have solely for being human. We also discussed the difference between a right and a privilege; we agreed that a right can be a privilege but a privilege is not always a right. We plan on using this idea when discussing which rights and which privileges are being abused for those being enslaved by human trafficking.

HT Team #1

From Segment #3, it is the Franck article, "Are Human Rights Universal?", that we find several points that can be applied.  From Segment #2, a question we brought up dealt with gender roles.  The Franck article exams human rights for women in different cultures.  It would be interesting to combine these two and see if the way women are treated in certain parts of the world has a correlation to how human rights are or are not enforced.

In addition to this point, it would be helpful to look at countries that have used cultural exceptionalism as a reason for gender inequality.  It is possible that those countries that have more often used cultural exceptionalism are more likely to participate in human trafficking activities.

CED

For this week's readings, our group mostly discussed Franck's "Are Human Rights Universal?" This piece gave us many ethical questions to ask. Sometimes indigenous groups are seen as a hinderance to general development; therefore they are removed. With that in mind, is it ethical to take over one's country if you feel you are bettering their quality of life, even though you are altering and/or destroying their traditions?

Countries seen as more influential use their power and "help" countries in distress. These countries in need are helped depending on what they have to offer. The Carter administration gave "aid" to Iran by invading them. Oil was the goal in this case. The US's prevalence in Iran is exponentially larger than our current involvement in Africa, the second-largest continent in the world. One might think that because Nigeria is one of the largest oil reserves that the US would too want a share of that, but Nigeria's lack of immunizations is not something the US wants to be associated with.

The declaration of human rights neglects culture and indigenous peoples. It was written for "modern" societies, which still contain indigenous minorities. While these indigenous groups are generally more advanced than how they once were, as society also is today, most traditions reign supreme. Should one have indigenous/tribal rights and there are religious rights?

AIDS and its connection to the readings thus far.

AIDS

Donnelly's Article, "The Concept of Human Rights" maintains a blurry stance on the definition of a human rights. He does, however, seems to define its difference compared to a legal right. AIDS patients did indeed have discrimination problems in the past, one well-known figure being Ryan White, from Kokomo, Indiana, who received international recognition for his bravery against his injustices. Do these discriminating incidents still happen today? If so, what are the concrete legal rights one can exercise to protect themselves? What about blurry human rights? Are they just as reinforced, or shrugged off in other countries where an illness like this is seen with less sympathy?

Linking this to Franck's article, "Are Human Rights Universal?" where Afghanistan is exemplified as a place with limited human rights, homosexuality, a linked component of AIDS, is widely unaccepted due to the connotations it has with religion. Perhaps cultural relativism is another concept that keeps AIDS from being fully addressed, understood, and treated both medically and socially among parts of the world?